5G momentum is accelerating globally: Qualcomm

Qualcommm Technologies recently announced new mobile platforms globally, and in India. Qualcomm launched three new Snapdragon mobile platforms to address the ongoing demand for 4G smartphones.

Addressing the audience, Rajen Vagadia, VP and President, Qualcomm India, said that there are about 8 billion mobile phones globally. India has embraced the mobile revolution. There are 1.2 billion mobile connections in India. 92% of the Indian Internet users access the Internet via mobiles. 4G will stay relevant for at least the next five years.

"As 4G expands in terms of network, there will be a dimishing value of 3G. Things will change as 5G comes in. Even the relevance of 2G will go away. However, 4G can stay for at least five years. We know what are the inputs getting into any technology. There is also a 4G-enabled app economy in India. India has become the second largest country in the world for apps downloads. There have been over 10,000 technology startups and 20 unicorns since 2016. All of the exponential innovations have happened and multiplied on the platforms that we have created. As 5G comes in, there will be further enhancements.

"Qualcomm in India has played a pivotal role in supporting the entire telecom value chain. We take pride in working with our ecosystem partners. We also work with the Indian government and policy makers. E112 was mandated earlier. We also have NavIC, India's regional navigation system. As we innovate for the globe, we also have NavIC. Dr. K Sivan, ISRO, has a recorded video."

In the video address, Dr. K Sivan, chairman, ISRO, said: "ISRO has always belived that the benefits of space should reach the common man. Qualcomm has already demonstrated NavIC in Oct. 2019. It will also be integrated into the mobile phones this year. It is designed to provide better and accurate position information. NavIC willl also serve many societal applications. NavIC provides a satellite-based positioning system."

5G momentum accelerating

Alex Katouzian, Senior VP and GM for Mobile, Qualcomm Technologies, added: "The 5G momentum is accelerating globally. 45+ operators are commercially deploying 5G. Today, there are 340+ operators investing in 5G. 5G will reach billions over the years. The consumer deserves to have the best network and technologies.

"5G has countless use cases. There is boundless XR. Augmented reality can change your perception. In the US, many stadiums have sports gambling legal. They want to set up 5G networks. There will be 4K multiview streaming and sharing. There will be 5G high-density venue connectivity. Enterprises will also move to 5G. There are multiple industrial use cases as well. There will be 4K video surveillance. Multiplayer gaming will evolve further."

Qualcomm has introduced XR2 Snapdragon 5G platform. For mobile PCs, there is the 7c and 8c chips. For mobile, there are the 865 and 765/765G mobile platforms. Now, we are redefining mainstream and entry-level mobile PCs with 7c and 8c mobile platforms. Windows on Snapdragon are becoming popular. XR2 combines XR, AI and 5G. We also have TrueWireless Stereo headsets being made by the OEM partners.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon (765 and 865) are truly global solutions. The 865 5G platform provides the maximum connectivity. It has great, sustained performance. IT allows ultra-smooth gaming and the highest HDR quality. There is a fifth generation AI engine worth 15 TOPS. We also have world's first 2Gigapixels per second camera and capture 8K video, as well.

The Snapdragon 865 and 765 5G modular platforms are operator certified, have compelling industrial design. They have lower development costs and enable faster commercialization. They also have the ability to scale, and serve multiple products and categories. We also resolve complexity.

Speaking on the occasion, Vikas Agarwal, GM, OnePlus India, said that people are recommending OnePlus because of its product philosophy. "We are able to optimize our devices, thanks to Qualcomm. We have been associated with Qualcomm since 2013. Today, we are the biggest brand in India. Over the last years, 58% of devices sold in India are from OnePlus. For us, 2019 has been a very successful year. The premium market in India is less than 5%. We have the opportunity to ride this market."

Kedar Kondap, VP, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, said the foundation of 5G is based on 4G. Over 4 billion of the connections are based on 4G globally.

"Our goal is to ensure we drive the latest devices in India. There are 595 million users in India. 55% of the Indian poplulation is today on 4G. We ensure that our platforms scale across the various platforms. We have three releases today -- 7, 6 and 4 series. There are over 4,000+ designs across the three tiers.

"We bring the entire Snapdragon mobile platform together. We focus on RF complexity, and provide best RF front-end platforms. Snapdragon 7, 6 and 4 series leads across the board. We want to go beyond benchmarks. We want consumers to play games for longer durations than before. We also support 15 TOPS for AI connectivity.

"Connectivity, entertainment and AI are three areas that we focus on. There are next-gen 4G features, such as fast and furious speeds, dual SIM and dual VoLTE support, etc. Snapdragon is also Wi-Fi 6 ready. We are also the first SoC in the industry to support NavIC. There is a feature called Dead-reckoning. We help provide location in GPS-denied places. In dense urban areas, there is 6X accuracy in dense areas.

"AI is an experience that every phone supports today. There are things like smart cropping, smart vision, etc., which are everywhere. We have over 500+ million AI engine devices. The AI engine is a combination of Adreno GPU, Hexagon processor, etc. The Qualcomm Sensing Hub is a blend of multiple senses at <1mA. Areas covered include society, health and fitness, security, context and low-power camera.

"Entertainment is another key area. We look at camera, video and gaming. The Qualcomm Spectra ISP has great image quality. These images are captured with hyperspeed. In gaming, there is the Adreno GPU. We have the Qualcomm aptX low latency. technology for the best gaming experience."

Snapdragon 460 is a huge leap in performance. This is the first Wi-Fi 6 ready platform and the first with Adreno GPU. It is the first to have an AI engine. Snapdragon 662 has Adreno 610 GPU, with amazing uplink and downlink speeds. The 720G mobile platform provides the extraordinary gaming and entertainment experience. You now have an actual home theater in your pockets. We work with partners such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to give the best experience.

Manu Jain, VP, Xaomi Global, and MD, Xaomi India, noted that there are so many brands and OEMs present. We are the no. 1 in smartphones, smart TVs, fitness wearables, and power banks. A lot of our devices across the board have been powered by Qualcomm. If Redmi Note was taken separately, just one series will make it India's fourth largest selling phone.

"We are working with Qualcomm to bring Snapdragon 865, 765, etc. devices soon. We are also working with ISRO and Qualcomm on the NavIC. Many of our devices will also have NavIC in them."

Madhav Sheth, VP realme and CEO, realme India, said: "We are having 500% YoY growth. India achieved 15mn shipments in 2019. In 2020, we will definitely make it more disruptive. We provide best-in-class performance for every Indian. We will also be among the the first to launch 720G chipset-based phones in India."